Since the start of this year Noirin Kiely Orthoptist from Manukau Super Clinic has set up a petition for patches on prescription.

As we all know amblyopia is a treatable cause of reduced vision in childhood. Treatment often involves patching for several months or even years!Often treatment is stopped due to the cost involved. Patches cost on average $1 each.

By making patches available on prescription we are helping New Zealand children to have a better level of vision for their future.

This petition will be sent to the Ministry of Health to support patches being made available on prescription.

Please help us get to a minimum of 200 signatures by the end of the year by sharing this online petition (link below) among your patients, friends and colleagues. The more signatures we can get the better!

The Annual scientific meeting of the ANZ Strabismus Society will be held in sunny Brisbane on Friday March 6 and Saturday March 7 2015 at the brand new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in South Brisbane.

The guest speakers include Joe Demer MD Professor of Paediatric Ophthalmology at Jules Stein Eye Institute UCLA and Dr Gail Stephenson, Professor of Orthoptics at the University of Liverpool UK.Details of registration, abstract submission and accommodation will be posted on this website shortly so watch this space!

Auckland has joined New Plymouth's lead in becoming an official host sites for the International Orthoptic Association exchange program. This means these two sites are now opening the doors to the possibility of hosting international visitors. As New Zealand does not train any Orthoptists here, having visitors might help with our recruitment issues in the future.

The IOA exchange program started in 2002, currently they have processed 43 visitor applications and have had 24 successful visits to various host sites around the world. Visitors can stay for 1-2 weeks, sometimes longer, and can get a feel of whether working in that Country would be for them.

Having Auckland as a second location in New Zealand is very appealing as the visitor could extend their time in NZ by visiting both sites. Australia currently do not have any host sites. For more information on other Host Sites for the IOA Exchange Program, go directly to the IOA website, you must be a member to access this information.

What is a Thunderclap? It is a means for sending out a collective internet shout on Twitter with the same message, on the same day that typically used to support a cause (this shout out can also be linked to LinkedIn and Facebook). A Thunderclap allows a single message to be mass-shared, flash mob style, so it rises above the noise of your social networks.

To say support World Orthoptic Day on June 2nd and for the world to hear us. Please notify all your association members so they can sign up to support the following message to the world:

Proud to support #worldorthopticday, #orthoptists make a difference to quality of life in patients with #strabismus

There are only 12 days left to sign up and support our shout out to the world. Lets get the message out so orthoptists, their colleagues, friends and family can sign up. Tell everyone you know and shout loud and proud that we support WOD.

The winner of the World Orthoptic Day Photo Contest was Sheri Shahaj from Italy. Second place was Debbi Zylich from Canada; however third place goes to our very own Hamza Ali from New Zealand. Big shout out to Hamza, great picture!